• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Bernard, Oregon State run down Maryland

Dec 29, 2007 - 7:02 AM By Tom Kent PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) - Yvenson Bernard ruined Maryland's trip to the West Coast.

Bernard rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown to lead Oregon State to a 21-14 victory over Maryland in the Emerald Nut Bowl on Friday night.

The senior co-captain, who rushed for 1,037 yards and 12 touchdowns while finishing third in rushing in the Pac-10, missed the regular-season finale against rival Oregon after knee surgery but was stellar in his final college game.

"I just went out there and just played football," Bernard said. "It was a win and that's all I was worried about. As a senior I wanted to leave this program with a win and it's a great feeling for me and all the seniors."

Bernard looked tentative early but recaptured his old form en route to setting an Emerald Bowl record for rushing, surpassing the previous mark of 144 yards set by UCLA's Chris Marke last season.

"It was definitely great to have him back," Beavers coach Mike Riley said. "When he gets going, he's going to get that many carries. It seems like he just gets warmed up after 25 carries."

The victory marked their fourth straight bowl victory for Oregon State (9-4), which won seven of its last eight games.

"We just kept going," Bernard said. "We've had some lumps along the way, but we just keep going. That's what I love about this team."

Maryland (6-7), which dropped four of its last six contests but managed to defeat North Carolina State in the season finale, had their streak of three consecutive postseason wins snapped.

"We played a good team, we didn't play our best, and when you do that, you lose," Terrapins coach Ralph Friedgen said.

With the Beavers trailing, 14-7, late in the first half, Bernard capped off a seven-play, 44-yard drive with a 2-yard plunge into the end zone to even the score at 14-14 with 16 seconds left in the half.

The Beavers went ahead for good when Bernard fumbled on the Terrapins' 1-yard line and wide receiver James Rodgers alertly carried the miscue into the end zone for the go-ahead score with 10 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Terrapins got on the board on their first possession of the game. Sophomore quarterback Chris Turner engineered an 11-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in a 9-yard strike from Turner to Isaiah Williams.

"We started out fast and for whatever reason we slowed down after that," Turner said. "They were able to make some adjustments in coverage and that hurt us."

Turner, who became the Terrapins' signal-caller when starter Jordan Steffy was injured in the Rutgers game, also threw two interceptions in the defeat.

Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield, who entered the game in the first quarter when starter Lyle Moevao left with a hand injury, threw for 67 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Moevao did return before leaving the game for good after straining his knee with 13:56 left in the first half.

The Maryland defense managed a season-high five quarterback sacks. The contest marked Oregon State's first contest against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent since a 20-16 victory over Duke in 1942.

It was Maryland's first game against a Pac-10 opponent since it was defeated by Washington in the 1982 Aloha Bowl. It also was the Terrapins' first game in California since 1954.